It wasn’t pretty, but Kalani Sitake won’t complain about leaving Texas State with a win. On Friday night, BYU traveled to Dallas as a double-digit underdog and defeated the SMU Mustangs. BYU’s defense put on a gutsy performance, keeping SMU out of the end zone the entire game.
FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | BYU vs. SMU pic.twitter.com/6OvWrbtQtb
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) 7 September 2024
SMU started with junior Preston Stone. On the first drive of the game, SMU fell behind. Jack Kelly sacked Stone and the Mustangs lost nine yards before punting on 4th & 19.
BYU’s offense made a crucial mistake early on. A potential running play was not executed properly and Jake Retzlaff tried to make something out of nothing by running himself (more on that in a moment). Retzlaff fumbled near the halfway line and the Mustangs recovered the ball in BYU territory.
BYU’s defense responded and pushed the Mustangs back again. The Mustangs lost nine yards on the second drive and defensive tackle Blake Mangelson managed a sack. The Mustangs had to punt again. The defensive line made life difficult for Stone.
On the ensuing drive, the BYU offense had its best drive of the game. An eight-play, 75-yard drive capped off a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jake Retzlaff to Mata’ava Ta’ase. The Cougars took a 7-0 lead and seemed to be in rhythm on both sides of the ball.
Then the game changed late in the first quarter when running back LJ Martin left the game with an ankle injury. From that point on, BYU struggled on offense. BYU’s next four drives went like this:
- 3 games, -12 yards – Punt
- 3 plays, 6 yards – punt
- 3 plays, 4 yards – punt
- 4 plays, 7 yards – Turnover on Downs
Meanwhile, BYU’s defense kept the Mustangs out of the end zone. SMU started moving the football when Kevin Jennings came in at quarterback.
The Mustangs scored three consecutive field goals and took a 9-7 lead.
BYU’s offense came alive at the end of the half, gaining 38 yards and setting up a 54-yard field goal for Will Ferrin. Ferrin’s attempt was far enough but missed to the right and SMU went into halftime with a 9-7 lead.
In the second half, a spectacular performance by Darius Lassiter quickly put BYU in SMU territory. Lassiter took a pass from Jake Retzlaff and weaved through defenders for a 57-yard gain. On the next play, Retzlaff was hit in the pocket. Instead of taking the sack, Retzlaff tried to get rid of it as the pocket collapsed around him. The ball flew into the air and SMU captain Kobe Wilson intercepted it and returned it to the BYU 35.
BYU’s defense stood strong again, preventing SMU from scoring a field goal and keeping the gap to one point at 12-7.
The two teams traded punts before BYU went on a 7-play, 61-yard touchdown drive. On 4th & 2, BYU called Enoch Nawahine’s number. Nawahine made it one down and more, scoring a touchdown from nine yards out. A successful two-point conversion gave BYU a 15-12 lead.
On the next drive, SMU had one of its best drives of the night and got into the scoring zone. The Mustangs marched down the field until senior cornerback Marque Collins stepped in front of a pass from Kevin Jennings and intercepted it inside the 5-yard line.
BYU took control and disaster struck when Brashard Smith stepped in front of a Jake Retzlaff screen pass and nearly returned it for a touchdown. Smith took the ball past the BYU 3.
The BYU defense held firm again. SMU running back Brashard Smith inexplicably attempted a lateral throw at the end of a run, but lost the ball just before his knee hit the turf. BYU defensive back Jakob Robinson recovered the fumble and BYU took over at its own 8-yard line.
A few minutes later, SMU got the ball back and managed just 17 yards with six minutes left to set up the field goal to tie the game.
The BYU offense got the ball back and quickly got to the midfield line. On 4th & 1 in their own territory, the Cougars decided to go for fourth down with the game on the line. It was a decision that ultimately made the difference. Retzlaff read the defense and threw the option pitch to Miles Davis, who outran the defense to the sideline and gained 37 yards. That run put BYU at the SMU 15.
The Cougars had to kick a field goal and took the lead 18-15 with 1:58 minutes left.
One last time, the BYU defense took the field again. This time, the defense left no room for doubt. The Mustangs didn’t gain a yard on four attempts, giving the ball back to BYU and allowing the Cougars to run down the rest of the clock.
In five redzone trips, SMU scored just six points against the BYU defense. It wasn’t a pretty game for the BYU offense, but efficiency in the redzone made the difference in the game.
In three red zone trips, BYU scored three points: two touchdowns and a field goal.
BYU ended up outscoring SMU 336 to 221. The Cougars are 2-0 this season and will travel to Laramie next week to face the Wyoming Cowboys.
